FITZGERALD, Ga. — Georgia school shooting suspect Colt Gray apologized to his mother before killing four people and that she made a frantic phone call to try to stop the tragedy, according to Gray's grandfather and reports.
In an exclusive interview with The Post on Saturday, Charles Polhamus said his daughter, Marcie Gray, was visiting his home in Fitzgerald, Georgia, when she received the frightening message from Colt on Wednesday morning.
“Sorry, Mom,” the message read.
Marcy, 43, frantically called Apalachee High School and alerted a counselor to an “extreme emergency,” a relative told The Washington Post.
“I was the one who notified the school counselor at the high school. I told them it was an emergency and they should go and search right away. [my son] “To check on him,” she told her sister, according to the outlet.
After receiving the text from Colt, Marcy jumped in her car and drove to Winder, about three hours away, but on the way she heard the news that two students and two teachers had been killed, Polhamus, 81, told The Post.
Marcy Gray looked devastated on Saturday as she was spotted carrying pillows into her father's home.
“It's awful. It's absolutely awful,” Murthy told The Washington Post, without going into details about the bloodshed.
After Marcy Gray's panicked phone call, school officials appeared to try to avert a disaster, Gray's sister, Annie Brown, and another student told The Washington Post.
Via Reuters
Administrators went to his classroom looking for Colt minutes before the shooting, but he wasn't there. Instead, the administrator was carrying a backpack belonging to another child with a similar name who was outside the classroom, the outlet reported.
Mr Polhamus said the stage for the violence had been set long ago and slammed Colt's father, Colin, as “evil”, alleging Colin Gray had driven Marcy into drug addiction and destroyed the family.
“What Corey Gray did to my family, he's going to rot in hell, that's a fact,” Polhamus said outside his home. “He needs the death penalty. He's probably one of the worst narcissists in the world.”
Collin's lawyer could not be reached for comment.
What we know about Georgia school shooting suspect Colt Gray's family
- Lauren Vickers, a neighbor of the family, said the children were often locked out of the home.
- Gray's maternal grandfather, Charles Polhamus, said Colin Gray was verbally abusive towards his grandson and daughter.
- Mr Gray's aunt, Annie Brown, said his mother had struggled with mental health.
Colt and Collin, 54, are charged with murder in connection with the cold-blooded shooting. Authorities say Collin gave his son, who is being charged as an adult, the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre as a Christmas gift.
The former Marine said he doesn't condone his grandson's violence, but blames Colt's father for his violent ways.
“He was a good kid in a bad situation and turned into a bad kid. It's sad. The environment a child grows up in has a big impact on their character and their future,” Polhamus said.
He claimed that Collin would frequently yell at Mercy and the children. Mercy, who said she was once a victim of abuse herself, wrote that her children were “thriving” after she split from Collin last year.
Polhamus accused Collin of becoming addicted to drugs after hurting his back several years ago, and pressured Marcy to get the drugs after her doctor refused to give her a prescription, her grandfather said.
“Because they were living in those conditions, they lost their home and he lost his job,” his grandfather said of Colin Gray.
“For two years he lay on his back and did nothing. His daughter, Marcy, worked. Before this happened, they had a $500,000 farm and they lost it.”
About 20 years ago, Marcy, who has a criminal record, moved into Mr Polhamus' home with her three children, but after she was arrested on drug charges, police sent the children back to their father, police said.
According to the Daily Mail, her arrest history includes charges of drug possession, aggravated assault, theft and trespassing, and in one incident she “threatened to kill her husband.”
But her father insisted that Collin was “100 percent” responsible for driving Colt crazy.
Marcy has been drug-free for about a year and has found a well-paying job, her father said, and believes the damage her ex-husband has done to the family is too great for the children to recover from.
“There is zero evidence against Marcy. Marcy did nothing to Colt. All she did was help him,” he said, adding that reports that she abused children were “not true.”
“Colt didn't make him do it. He did it. It's not like he just decided one day to kill him,” he said. [four] “He killed people. No, he didn't. He grew out of his environment,” his grandfather insisted.
“If you step on a pile of dung, what happens to your foot? You step on a pile of dung. Same thing. My daughter and her kids are going to live in that for 11 years.”
“You can't have a stable relationship if you've been in that for 11 years,” he said, adding that the relationship had “definitely” changed his daughter.
He learned last week that he may spend the rest of his life in prison because of his violent current situation.
“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord,” Polhamus said.
“He's getting what he deserves. My grandson is getting what he deserves,” he continued.
“Colt has to pay for what he did, but I can say it clearly: He was driven. There's no question in my mind. He was driven to do it by his father. As far as I can tell, that's clear and I know I'm right.”
The grieving grandfather apologised for the bloodshed and insisted Colt had been a “good kid” before Wednesday's violence, stressing that Colt was “nothing like his father”.
When asked what he would say to Colin if he met him today, Polhamus simply replied, “I hope you rot in hell.”
